


Wading into Love

by ptw30



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Diner Owner Shiro, M/M, Mechanic Keith (Voltron), Mutual Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Shiro (Voltron), Slow Burn in a way..., There's practically a forest between these two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-06 08:24:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19058911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ptw30/pseuds/ptw30
Summary: Written for Sheithauweek Day 2: Modern & MundaneKeith is a mechanic at Kolivan’s garage. Shiro is the owner of the diner around the bend. They get married before they know they’re a couple.





	Wading into Love

Kolivan’s garage was a street away from Champion’s Diner, so the crew ordered lunch from it almost daily. As the youngest and newest mechanic on staff – and also Kolivan’s nephew – Keith ended up the errand boy.

 And that’s how he met Shiro.

Takashi Shirogane, former race car driver and the object of Keith’s teenage dreams, left the life of adrenaline and national fame after a horrific car wreck, one Keith witnessed on TV. Minus an arm and plus a scar, Shiro traded the life of super-tight jumpers for super-tight jeans, and he opened a diner in his home city with his childhood pal Hunk.

When Keith walked into the diner his first day on the job, he wore a faded and greased up tanktop, a jumper with its arms tied around his waist, and his hair pulled back in a short tail. Yet Shiro looked up from behind the counter and smiled, a beaming, heart-stopping grin that left Keith speechless.

After a few days, Keith fingered-comb his hair before entering, and Shiro leaned an elbow on the counter as he took Keith’s order. After Shiro handed it to Hunk, Keith slipped into one of the elevated stools to watch Shiro work, and they traded stories of their mornings.

Eventually, they began to trade texts, too. It only made sense. Hunk forgot Antok’s bacon once, and when Keith brought back the cheeseburger, Shiro gave his number.

“You’re my best customers. If this happens again, I’ll deliver a new burger on the house – er, restaurant.”

Of course, Keith missed his diner visit one day. He stayed home from work – Flu. Terrible. Contagious. He couldn’t possibly get out of bed. – or so he texted Kolivan. A few hours later, Shiro showed up on his doorstep.

“Kolivan told me,” he said with a sheepish smile before holding up a cylinder container. “Had Hunk whip this up for you. Chicken soup. His grandmother’s recipe.”

“Uh, thanks…” It wasn’t awkward that the owner of the diner he frequented, just happened to worry about him. Nope. Especially since Keith had dreamed this very scenario night after night for the last year. “But…um…you see…there’s this thing…”

Shiro surveyed him, head ducked low and drawn close to scrutinize Keith’s face. “You played hooky.”

Keith let out a defeated sigh and opened the door to show the pillow in front of his PlayStation4 and TV. “I was winning, and there weren’t that many cars in the shop when I left yesterday. I thought…”

“It’s cool.” Shiro’s smile remained effortless, though his lips tugged down on one side. “Here, take the soup anyway. Gotta keep your strength up. And…uh, I’ll see you tomorrow? Or maybe Friday?”

“Or…” Keith couldn’t lose nerve now. Shiro showed up on his doorstep, so that had to mean something, even if it was just friendship. And friends did this kind of thing…right? “You-You could stay. Share the soup. Play some Fortnite…y’know, if Hunk and Lance are good at the diner.”

Shiro’s eyes widened; he pulled out his phone. “I’ll text Pidge to keep the place from burning down.”

They spent the entire day together, drinking, eating, laughing – and something changed between them. Keith liked it.

Shiro began to text randomly throughout the day. He made a few trips to the garage rather than making Keith always come to the diner. He shook Kolivan’s hand and teased with Ulaz or Thace. He patted Antok on the arm, and then he sat and watched Keith work, keeping him company throughout his tasks.

But Keith always came to the diner for dinner.

After a particular long day at work, Keith moved from his perch at the counter to one of the large booths. He leaned his back against the window, one leg stretched across the bench, and waited for Shiro to join him. Shiro said nothing, just placed Keith’s order in front of him, then slid into the opposite bench his own plate.

They met after work, on the weekends. Shiro came to Keith’s place or Keith followed him out of the diner. The leaves fell and regrew, and Keith swallowed a large bite of his burger as he watched Shiro take yet another fry.

“You know I don’t eat all this many,” he complained as he dumped another heap of ketchup on his plate. “You put all these here so you can eat them, didn’t you?”

“Guilty as charged,” Shiro replied, “stealing” another fry as if to make his point. “You see the new superhero fic hit on-demand?”

“Yeah. You coming over tonight to watch it?”

“Sure.” Shiro pointed to one of his tomato, and Keith seized with his fork. “What bagel do you want from Coran’s? I’ll pick it up fresh on my way over.”

Which meant Shiro wanted to stay until the morning. Nothing unusual there. He usually stayed over on Fridays. “French toast. See if they can put powered sugar on it, will you?”

“If they don’t have French toast?”

“Set the place on fire.”

“Cinnamon raisin it is.”

“Ugh. No.”

“It’s your second favorite.”

“I tolerate it.”

“I also got tickets to that car show tomorrow.” Shiro stabbed his omelet’s onions, joining the potatoes on his fork. “You working? If so, I’ll give them to Lance. He’s been bugging me about them, but I wanted to run it by you first.”

Keith bit down on his burger and wiped a bit of ketchup from the corner of his mouth, considering. Tomorrow was his day off, and spending it with Shiro…would be exactly how he spent all his other off days. Weekends, too. Free nights he stayed at the diner rather than heading home, and he made sure to wait up for Shiro’s text to know he made it back to his place.

Glass shattered in the back of Keith’s mind as Shiro stole a few more fries off his plate.

“Shiro, are we dating?”

Shiro finished his fries, munching on them slowly, blinking thoughtfully. He swallowed and then took a sip of his seltzer before finally replying, “I think we’re closer to married at this point.”

Oh. Keith weighed that thought carefully, tumbling it over in his mind a few times to get the feel of it. They made plans together, spent time together, considered each other into their lives. Keith brought Shiro shopping for his couch and pots, while Shiro asked Keith to help pick out his last TV. They ate dinner together every night, and they texted each other every morning. They saw each other at lunch.

There was just one thing missing.

“If we’re married, then I want sex.”

To his credit, Shiro didn’t choke on his fries. “We have sex.”

They did and didn’t. Sometimes when Keith thought he could get away with it, he’d lean against Shiro and close his eyes. Sometimes Shiro would wrap an arm around his shoulders or even rest his hand near Keith’s. Every so often, Shiro would turn his head against Keith’s neck, his lips close, and their hands would do the rest. Jeans open, gentle embraces, a cut-off cry, but nothing heavy or all that hot. A few embraces, sharp inhales, and a quick release.

“We don’t have a lot of sex. Not like couples  _should_.”

Shiro looked up from under his mess of white bangs, a bit more open than Keith remembered ever seeing him. “You want to have sex…?”

The absent  _with me_  hit Keith harder than it should have. “Well, yeah. Why wouldn’t I?” His seventeen-year-old self would have died from this conversation alone.

Shiro looked away to focus on the suddenly fascinating mustard, but his flesh hand came up from under the table to grip his metal wrist. Keith reacted on instinct, slipping his fingers between Shiro’s metal ones and squeezing. Heat rose in his cheeks as he offered a helpless shrug.

“I like the ridges.”

Shiro’s eyes flashed to his, so crystal and beautiful in the twilight, and they stole Keith’s breath all over again. Huh. This was how married couples were supposed to feel, right? All starstruck and wondrous. Keith would probably never understand why Shiro wanted him, but he would always revel in being the cause of That Look.

“Okay.” With his free hand, Shiro lifted Keith’s burger. “I guess we can have sex after the movie. Or during…? If it’s bad.”

Keith snorted. “We’re scheduling sex now?”

Shiro shrugged and spoke through his munching, “Isn’t that what married couples do?”

Only one thing to do about that. “Guess we should make it official, right? My mom’s coming to visit next week. We could get a courthouse date.”

Shiro’s thumb brushed across the top of Keith’s palm. “Yeah, makes sense. We’ll hold a small reception here. Your uncles and mom, my grandpa.”

“Hunk’ll cater. He’ll like that. We should invite Pidge and Lance, along with Allura, Coran, and Romelle.”

“Sounds good.” Shiro finished up the fries and offered the rest of his rings to Keith, who took them with an appreciated sound. “Your place is bigger, right?”

“And closer,” Keith agreed. “You spend most nights there anyway.”

Shiro nodded as he slurped the rest of his diet coke, then leaned back, never letting go of Keith’s hand. “I’ll get the rings. Saw one the other day with twin red carbon fiber inlays that framed a meteorite strip. It’s perfect for you. And I’ll get the matching one with gunmetal gray.”

Keith let out a tiny gasp, stealing Shiro’s wondering gaze, before cocking a tiny grin. “You’ve thought about this.”

Shiro ducked his head, though Keith spied the rapidly reddening tips of his ears. “I’ve thought about this.” He added in a whispered confession, “ _A lot_.”

That settled warm and pleasant in Keith’s chest. “So…that’s it then. We’re engaged.”

“Yeah.” Shiro’s relaxed, blissful smile was an expression Keith never saw before, but something he could wake up to every morning. With one last squeeze, he let go of Keith’s hand and reached for his plate to clean up. “So I’ll see you at home later?”

The word “home” encouraged Keith to demand more. “Do we have to wait? Can we do it now?”

“Pidge and Lance don’t come until midnight, but I promise I’ll be home as soon as they – ”

Keith sprinted from the bench and dove between the two plates that Shiro held, pressing his body flush against his fiancé’s. With his arms locked about Shiro’s neck, he startled Shiro with searing embrace that had Shiro grunting and then moaning. Keith bit Shiro’s bottom lip, then smiled when Shiro opened for him. He refused to release his soon-to-be husband until he felt something thick against his hip, lips swollen and red.

Once they parted, Shiro took two quick breaths before yelling over his shoulder, “Everyone out! We’re closing early!”

_The End_

**Author's Note:**

> Just in case you were wondering, here are the rings I saw for [Shiro](https://www.mensweddingbands.com/9-mm-meteorite-mens-wedding-bands-m740fs-gun-metal-gray/) and [Keith](https://www.mensweddingbands.com/9-mm-meteorite-mens-wedding-bands-m740fs-red/).


End file.
